Mayor and Senior Staff Tour New Public Works Service Center as Construction Nears Completion

With construction of the new Public Works Service Center on Loraine Street nearing completion, Mayor Madeline Rogero and Deputies to the Mayor Christi Branscom and Bill Lyons took a tour of the building with senior staff in Public Service and Engineering.

Officials met at the entrance of the new Public Works Service Center. The City
has even added a KAT bus stop (rear left of photo) to improve accessibility.

The building will function as a key destination that provides convenient access to City services in Engineering and Public Service. A staff member will be on site to direct visitors as they enter the lobby of the facility.

Kristin Grove (back facing camera) of the Public Building Authority
and project manager for the City, gives a run-down of the building to
City officials (left to right: Charles Swanson, Law Director; Mayor
Madeline Rogero; Sheryl Ely, Public Service Deputy Director; Chad
Weth, Public Service Director; Bill Lyons, Deputy to the Mayor;
David Brace, Public Works Senior Director; Christi Branscom,
Deputy to the Mayor.

Project managers for the state-of-the-art building are aiming for the facility to be deemed a silver level LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. The building includes a geothermal heating and cooling system, alternative transportation access (bus stop and sidewalks), a green roof, and permeable brick pavers to filter water runoff.

City officials receive a quick lesson on the building's geothermal
heating and cooling system, located in the basement.

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The 325 employees that will work in the building will have access to a green
roof garden, which has already been planted.

"Ultimately, we want this building to provide convenient access to patrons seeking City services," said David Brace, Senior Director of Public Works. "We've also worked hard to make the facility environmentally responsible and to maximize functionality for high work performance of the facility's 325 employees."

The top floor, which will house the majority of the Engineering Department, is
almost fully furnished. Functionality and ease of staff communication was a high
consideration when designing the layout of the work spaces.

Staff is scheduled to be moved into the building by the end of the month. Further exterior work will continue after employees have moved in and a ribbon cutting is slated for the fall.

Additionally, the building will feature a public meeting space that features a full kitchen and can comfortably host 125 people. The room will be used to host training workshops, staff meetings, public meetings and will also be available for the public to reserve.

The public meeting room on the main floor is nearly complete.

For a previous blog post on the Public Works Service Center, click here.